Twenty-Two
Gabriel
"Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do next?" Xin asked, and I gave them a puzzled look. Hadn't we just decided to have a lazy afternoon? "Career-wise, I mean."
"Oh," I murmured, then shrugged, my fingers strumming over the strings of my guitar. Poor thing had been stuck in my closet for a long time, so I'd decided to give it some love and attention today.
I raised my head to look at Xin, finding their eyes latched onto my fingers. Biting back a smile, I continued testing the strings, tightening and adjusting them as needed.
"How about something in music?" they suggested as they dragged their eyes back to mine, and I swallowed.
My mind flickered back to the dream I'd once had. Could I still do it?
I would need to go back to school first. Get a degree in music education, only to work as the oldest intern somewhere before finally getting to teach my own class five or more years later.
I'd be 32 or 33 before I ever had students of my own.
Was that really feasible? Could I go back to school and spend four more years as a student?
What about my relationship with Xin? How would that work with me cramming for exams or splitting my time between them and classes?
It honestly sounded exhausting. If only there was a way to skip the preparation and go straight to the teaching part. I knew I could be a good teacher, and I certainly knew enough about music. But who would hire me without the right qualifications?
"You have something in mind, don't you?" Xin prompted, reading me like an open book. I'd always prided myself on my ability to keep my thoughts to myself, but somehow, Xin had learned to read me in the short time they'd known me.
"It's silly," I mumbled, focusing on my guitar as I spoke. I was afraid of seeing them agree with me. "When I was younger, I wanted to be a music teacher."
For a moment, Xin said nothing. Then, they were kneeling in front of me so they could meet my gaze, a soft smile on their face. "I can see that. You would be a great teacher."
I blinked, biting my lower lip as I scanned their face. They looked sincere, like they believed it with every magical fiber of their being.
Sighing, I leaned the guitar against the couch edge, then pulled them up onto the cushion beside me, turning to look at them.
"Even so, I don't think I can go back to school, even to study music."
"You'd need to go back to school?" they asked with a tilt of their head, their hair cascading forward in a wave, and I nodded. They'd left their hair loose upon my request, and my fingers itched to touch the silky strands. I was well and truly obsessed with their hair.
"I need a degree in music education, some internship experience, and then I'd have to take an exam and get a teaching license."
Xin nodded as I listed them out, as if logging them into a mental list, and I shook my head.
"Let's just forget about it. I'll figure something out. I have money saved up, so I don't have to worry about it just yet."
"You don't ever have to worry about anything, if you don't want to."
"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously, and they smirked.
A snap of their fingers filled my coffee table with stacks of cash. Stacks upon stacks of $100 bills, more than I'd ever seen in a lifetime. What the hell?
"What the hell?" I repeated out loud, afraid to even touch the notes.
"It's a little gift from Patrick Lewis. Think of it as repayment for every rude word he ever said to you."
"How did you...? Huh?" I mumbled, unable to comprehend what they were saying.
"Okay, so the cash is for illustrative purposes only," Xin said, making it disappear with another wave of their hand.
"The actual money is in an untraceable account.
I took it from Patrick's legitimate accounts, though the statements will show he spent that money over the last decade, mostly by gambling it away.
You can use the money however you want. You could even open a music school of your own. "
This had to be a prank, right? I'd never done any of this for money, and I'd certainly never asked Xin to steal it for me.
Maybe they saw some of my hesitation on my face, because some of their enthusiasm waned. Taking my hand in theirs, they gave it a squeeze. "If you don't want it, that's okay too. I can donate it to some charities you choose. Do some good with the money he stole from others."
The thought of using Patrick's money to make people's lives better for a change was appealing, and I nodded quickly. I didn't need money, at least not yet. And I had a feeling I wouldn't ever starve as long as Xin was around, and I didn't ever plan to let them leave me, so I would be fine.
Unless the dark souls or that demon did something to Xin.
I shook my head, locking away that fearful thought into a corner of my mind and focusing my attention back on Xin.
"Yeah, we should donate it. I don't really want to touch Patrick's money. The thought of using money he made by fucking Kevin over..." I trailed off with a shake of my head, feeling nauseous at the thought.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I should've realized that."
"No, it's okay. I'm glad you took the money. We can use it to do some good. It's a lot of money, though. We'll have to be careful about donating it."
"How about..." Xin began, a thoughtful look on their face. "How about opening a trust? 'The Kevin Lawson Trust' has a nice ring to it, no? Maybe we can find a way to fund some cancer research? Maybe something focusing on early tests or making regular screenings easier?"
I stared at them, stunned into silence for a moment by their thoughtfulness. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Their kindness had never been a secret.
"Yeah," I said, voice choked with feelings too big to name. "Yeah, that sounds perfect."
Xin
After our heavy conversation, we did indeed have a 'lazy afternoon,' with Gabriel strumming on his guitar and humming to himself while I pretended to read a book on my phone.
Instead, I was researching all there was to know about the requirements to become a music teacher in the state of Missouri.
I'd heard the desperate want in Gabriel's voice when he talked about his dream of becoming a music teacher, and I wanted to give him that.
He might have dismissed the idea because he didn't want to go back to school, but he'd forgotten his mate was a demon.
There wasn't a lot I couldn't do, and this would be an easy task once I figured out all the details.
Gray snored away happily on the rug in front of the couch we lay on, on his back with his belly open and inviting any rubs that might come his way. Hella hadn't visited me again yet, but I hoped she would. She and Gray had gotten along great in the park, and she could do with a friend or two.
Gabriel's foot brushed against my hip as he adjusted himself on the other end of the couch, and my gaze rose from my phone screen to admire the way his brows crinkled as he focused, the way his fingers danced over the strings like he'd always known how to do it.
I didn't recognize the song he was playing—I didn't recognize most songs, though Gabriel had started teaching me because 'I can't have a musically uneducated mate, Xin'—but it made me feel hopeful and warm, and a smile curled my lips without a conscious thought.
Was this how good music was supposed to make you feel?
I suddenly understood why humans were obsessed with it, though I had a feeling that at least for me, the musician played a bigger role than the music itself.
"Are you reading or watching me play?" Gabriel asked, eyes still on the guitar, and my smile widened.
"Can't it be both?"
He raised his gaze to mine, his eyes warm and sparkling in the sunlight filtering through the large window. Eyes staying on me, he continued playing, and I shivered as the music washed over me. He was playing to me, and only me, communicating with music what he didn't dare say out loud.
I understood Gabriel's fear, the loss that kept him from expressing what he felt for me. I'd caught his lingering gazes, the way he'd sometimes open his mouth to say something only to hold it back, more than once. I knew what held him back, and I was okay with it.
I didn't need to hear him say the words to know how he felt. His actions were evidence enough. If not saying anything, not putting labels on what we had, made him feel safer, I didn't mind that in the least.
When the song ended, Gabriel paused and exhaled shakily, as if it had taken a toll on him, and I dropped my phone on the couch, took his guitar from him, and carefully leaned it against the couch, then tugged him over to my side until he lay on top of me.
Wrapping my arms around him, I pressed a kiss against his temple, and smiled when he melted into me with a soft sigh. His fingers reached for my hair as they tended to do when he was close enough, and I watched as he stroked his fingers through the strands slowly and oh so carefully.
My mate had worked hard for a long time.
Trying not to be a burden to the older brother who'd suddenly become his everything, trying to make enough money to get his brother a good lawyer, working through college so he could prove his brother's innocence, even when he knew it wouldn't bring him back.
Now that he'd gotten his revenge, for the first time in his life, Gabriel had a moment to breathe. To relax. To think about himself. But he wasn't used to it, and that was why he'd dismissed his dream, even though he knew well enough I could fix the obstacles stopping him.
He'd never once thought to ask, because he was so used to doing everything on his own. For years, he hadn't had anyone he could depend on.
He had me now, though. I didn't need to be asked to do what was best for Gabriel, and I knew how much becoming a teacher meant to him. I would tell him as much once I'd made all the necessary preparations.
"You know, I would like you to meet Aisha," Gabriel said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
He turned his head up to look at me, a sheepish look on his face.
"As yourself, I mean. Not Ben. Though I suppose we'll have to make up a story of how we met since we can't exactly explain that you and Ben are the same. "
I chuckled, stroking his stubbled cheek as I hummed. "I've heard grocery stores are good meet-cute spots. Or coffee shops."
Gabriel chuckled, gaze dropping to his fingers as they sifted through my hair. If I was in my other form, my hair would've wrapped around his arm like a purring cat by now, but in this form, I kept it under tight lockdown just in case I forgot when we weren't alone.
"Coffee shop sounds good. I took one look at you and turned into a fumbling mess.
Almost spilled my coffee all over you, but ended up dumping it on myself.
Thank god for cold coffee. You were coming back from the gym, so you had a spare set of clothes on you that you offered to me, and when I returned them to you a few days later, you asked me on a date. "
I stared at him, fascinated and amused by the story he'd crafted. "Have you been thinking about this?"
Gabriel flushed, then shrugged. "It's not like I could tell our real story to anyone. It's a one-way ticket to prison."
With a laugh, I pressed a kiss against his stubbled cheek, which made the pink color underneath darken. He could be so cute sometimes.
"Coffee shop it is. Though if that had really happened, I probably would've used magic to keep you from spilling the coffee in the first place."
Gabriel huffed, but didn't reply, and I held him tighter. "Anyway, yes. I'd love to meet Aisha as your... date."
"Partner," he corrected in a low voice, and I smiled.
"Yes, your partner."
Gabriel didn't say anything, but I could hear the way his heart picked up pace when I said it. He was so easy to read, and so damned loveable.